Peach Amaretto Bread Pudding

I don't know how they do it, but for the last couple of weeks Idaho and Utah orchards have still been shipping peaches to Colorado. Of course, we are very taken with our own western-slope peaches (gone for over a month by now) and our small, but delectable selection of irrigated Penrose apples, but when you can't get local and the brought-in stuff is still firmly-fleshed and sweetly calling, you eat them for breakfast with Greek yogurt every morning until............until there are no more.

Every day or two, I buy some plums (upcoming blog dessert) and see if there are still peaches and, so far, there are. I put a few in a great ceramic bowl in my sunlit living room and leave them steam a bit for a couple of days, et voila, just juicy peaches are available one more time. I've never seen a fall like that before. In fact, I just got back from Minnesota, where a friend said they had no good peaches at all late summer or early fall. Colorado blessed.

(Here's the new view (above) from my front stoop... Pike's Peak to the west.

With the help of Mike next door, we got out those old junipers that blocked our coffee hour sights.)

One night, roasting a chicken for dinner, I thought about making a peach dessert. I had some leftover hard rolls that I could have given to the birds out back, but decided something could be done with a bread pudding of some sort. Custardy things are my husband's things and I'm always looking for new ones. It didn't take long to come up with a flavored bread pudding with fruit that baked in my lower oven as the chicken roasted and sat a while, exhaling, while we ate.

You could do it with apples (Calvados instead of Amaretto?) or plums (Brandy?); use your imagination. I know I've tried apples with no liquor at all--just cinnamon and some vanilla. Luscious.

(Gab--enjoying the cool air.)

A touch of late summer............ in mid-fall.

Invite a friend for dessert!

Peach-Amaretto Bread Pudding

Ingredients:

2 large hard rolls, cut into ½” slices and buttered
2 large peaches, peeled, pitted and sliced into 1/3” pieces

3 extra large eggs
1 ½ -1 ¾ cups milk
1/8 c Amaretto liqueur
1 t cinnamon (Vietnamese is good)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter 2 qt round casserole and set aside.
In medium bowl, beat eggs and add remaining ingredients. Beat well.

Layer bread and peaches in casserole dish and pour egg mixture over all, stirring just a bit to make sure all ingredients are wet. If some bread/peaches are sticking out on top, it’s fine.

Bake 60-70 min. until edges are crispy, but bread is still tender. Let sit at least 15 minutes before serving. Serve with vanilla ice cream. Can also be served at room temperature or cold.

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Wine: I had a bit of Amaretto in my coffee, but you could do Moscato d'Asti, a late-harvest Riesling or perhaps a small, light port.

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What else: We had chicken roasted with squash and a saute of Swiss Chard. The entire dinner menu, with recipes will soon be up on my new blog, "Dinner Place," which will be a spot for more complicated and time consuming recipes for special occasions or just days when you have more time to cook. Watch for

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dinnerplace.blogspot.com

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Just a bit of fun news: This week, I'm testing soups to go with Stony Hill '04 Chardonnay. Our wine group gathers this Friday night up in the mountains with a great selection of Stony Hill wines for a long tasting and boocoo courses. (I have the third course, the second of three whites.) Someone sweet, from the winery, is coming to share the meal and talk big about wine. So far, I've tried an ultra cool Lentil Soup with a Pumpkin-Crab Custard in the middle..my own invention and... well, while it's very tasty..... it needs tweaking to pair with that Chard. After tasting the '02 today, I'm reworking the broth entirely. Soon, it'll be called "Gentle Lentil, " I think. Why not? Watch the Dinner Place to see the process blogged; I may have even gotten decent pictures.

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I'd love to know if you like the new template. Click on "Comments" below.

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Sing a new song; blog a new blog, sip a new soup..........

Alyce